BIOGRAPHY OF NEWTON AND ALVENA SENSENEY
A memorial fund to the Wood River Community Foundation, Inc. is in memory of Newton and Alvena Senseney. They both were nearly life timer residents of the Wood River area.
Newton Isaac Senseney was born February 17, 1882 at Monyicello, IL. His father James Senseney, a Civil War veteran, brought his family to the Wood River area as a homesteader. The location of the homestead is a few miles northeast of Wood River.
Alvena Edith (Kierig) Senseney was born September 21, 1885 at Milford, NE and with her family moved to this area when a small child locating in the Cameron area. Both attended rural schools for their education.
They were married December 4, 1907 at the home of Mrs. Senseney's parents in the Cameron area. They first lived in Wood River where Mr. Senseney owned and operated a meat market and was also in a partnership of an automobile agency.
In 1911 the family moved to a farm east of Wood River where Mr. Senseney main endeavors were raising corn, wheat, sugar beets and feeding livestock. He was one of the first farmers in the area to drill a well for irrigation purposes.
They were the parents of three children, a son Arthur of Wood River, two daughters, Gladys Marrs of Cheyenne WY and Alice Newhouser of Wood River, as well as a foster son, Robert Pharoah of Kingman, AZ.
Both were active members of the First United Methodist church in Wood River.
Mr. Senseney passed away April 15, 1950 and Mrs. Senseney died July 15, 1977.